Timer for internal-combustion engines



O. H. HASSELBAUM.

'TIMER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1918.

1,347,370, 7 Patented July 20, 1920.

QSCAB. II. HASSELBAUM, 0F FRESNO, CALIFURNIA.

TIMER FOR INTEBNALfiOMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed 15, 1918. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Qsoau H. HAssnL- 1m UM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Timers for lnternal-Combustion Engines, of which the :iollowing is a specification.

The invention refers to attachments for internal combustion engines, and particularly to those kinds of engines which are used with auto vehicles.

,The principal object of the invention is to provide a timer in which the use of oil will be unnecessary.

A further object is to provide a timer which will give a long continuous spark at the spark plug, so that all of the gas may be ignited and maximum power of the engine btained.

A still further object is to provide a timer having a wiping contact, thereby obtaining a greater area contact than could be obtained with a timer having a roller.

,1 still further object is to provide the tin'ier, the moving" parts of which are copper gauze brushes, arranged in tandem as regards their travel around the stationary portion of the timer.

A still further object is to provide a timer 7 which is simple in construction, durable and effective in operatioi'i, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still further and other objects will appear in the following detailed description.

To the exact construction in which it is shown and described, the invention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make such changes or alterations the actual re duction to practice may demand, provided such changes or alterations are comprehended in. pi rit by the annexed claim.

The same numerals of reference designate the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elm-'ational view of the improved timer looking: at the inside thereof,

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l,

' Fig.5. 3 is a. section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown, a hollow casing: l, the portion 2 oi which is cylindrical in shape. )n the interior of the cylindrical portion 52, there is l'icld a, ring 3 made of some insulating material, preter- Specification of Letters Patent.

racemes July so, 1920.

ably fiber. ()n the inner periphery of the ring 3, there are inset the segments 4;, all these being an equal angular distance apar Radially projecting from the outside of the cylindrical portion 2 of the casin there w are binding posts 5, each one of which connects with one of the segments 4, the binding the casing 1, since the binding posts fixedly connect with the segments which are insetin the ring.

Each binding post is further provided with a nut 8 for effecting the. attachment of the read from the induction coil'to the binding post.

Cooperatingwith the segments 4, there is a brush holder 9 which is secured on and turned by a cam shaft 10. This brush holder,

carries side by side, two brushes ll which are made preferably of copper gauze and are held in contact with the ring 3 and the segments 4 by springs 12. a i

In the use of the invention, the cam shaft 10 turns the brush holder 9 and its two brushes are thereby wiped over the inner periphery of'the ring 3 and over the segments 4 in turn, the segments being made of bronze, brass or copper, preferably the former. The copper brushes thus wiping over the bronze segments insure a clean con,- tacting surface, as the brushes sliding over the ring keep a. clean path before them. Should there be any dirt, the first brush will wipe it out of the way and allow a clean centact tor the second brush.

The employment of two brushes-throws the sparking resulting "from breaking the circuit on to the second brush, since the first brush leaves the segment first, thereby leaving the circuit closed through the second brush until the latter leaves the segment. All the sparking resulting therefore from bros!- the circuit thrown on the second brush.

The particular arrangement does not require the use of oil to keep the timer in con dition, since the employment of copper brushes running on bronze segg i'nents and a ber ring does not produce undue friction,

and these two metals being relatively soft, they may be rubbedione over the other with out the result of any scratching.

The particular arrangement for having the brushes held in the holder so that they project radially in making contacts with the ring and with the segments, affords means for keeping the brushes in contact with the segments by centrifugal force when the cam shaft is running. Thus the brushes will maintain fairly good contact even though the springs pressing upon them may become weakened. This arrangement also provides for obtaining increased contact pressure when the cam shaft is running at high speed.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and ad antages of the invention are apparent, and further description is therefore unnecessary.

The invention having been described, what isclaimed as new and useful is:

In a spark timing-device, the combination of a casing, an insulating ring carried in the casing, contact segments inset in the inner periphery of said ring, a rotating shaft having a portion within the casing and being concentrically disposed with reference to said ring, a brush holder within the casingapd carried b ,,and rotated by said shaft, and a fiiir of-yiel'i lably mounted brushes carried in the said holder and disposed side by side, the brushes bearing upon the insulating ring and the segments but being so positioned that one leads the other in the direction in which they move, as herein. shown and specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

OSCAR I-I. HASSELBAUM. 

